Problem solved with a Hedgehog

One corner of my property, which borders two of my neighbors, is the home of about a dozen old, very tall Douglas fir trees. The trees are spaced out somewhat evenly in this space where our borders meet, and was likely a combined wood years ago before progress dictated that the original homestead be divided into several smaller lots. My portion of this property is an odd shape and consists of approximately 2200 square feet of dry, shady ground that up until a year or two ago was so dark and thick with low, branches it was of little practical use.

I decided to limb up a few of the long overhanging branches and cleaned out years of tinder dry dead branches as far as I could reach with my ladder, and those that had been accumulating on the ground. Once I cleared out the fire hazard I was left with a very thick layer of dry fir needles which had been accumulating for years and were in various stages of decomposition creating a wonderful floor of humus. There are three or four large Rhododendrons growing at the edge of the wood and prior to my opening up the space to receive more sunlight, little else could grow in such dense shade.

Cephalotaxus harringtonia ‘Hedgehog’ is a great spreading, mounding conifer for a dry, shady site. It handles heat and humidity growing in the southeastern states of the USA and along the Atlantic seaboard into areas of Zone 6 cold.

Since that time I have pulled the occasional weed that has germinated, but I’ve been having a difficult time trying to decide ultimately how I wanted to utilize this space. I love the natural woodsy feel, so I am leaning toward planting Pacific Northwest native understory plants that will attract and provide food and shelter for the local birds, but I definitely want to include a few conifers into this space. I could choose native species conifers, but they will become very large at a much faster rate than I might prefer. Although I will likely transplant a Tsuga heterophylla seedling or two that have volunteered to come up in another shady space, I have been trying to decide on a few other, slower growing conifers to include in this space and complement the other plants I have already chosen.

One new conifer that has caught my attention, and definitely has what it takes to live happily in this dry, shady space is Cephalotaxus harringtonia ‘Hedgehog’. This is a new introduction discovered by Iseli Nursery and looks to have just the characteristics I am looking for. Cephalotaxus do thrive in dry-shade conditions — especially in locations outside of the Pacific Northwest since we can only be considered dry during a short two or three-month period in late summer and into autumn. Fortunately, the ground stays fairly dry under my huge Douglas fir trees, and the deep humus soil there is very well-drained, which is also a plus for Cephalotaxus. Now that I have opened up this space to receive more actual sunlight, I can plant my new ‘Hedgehog’ where it will be shaded most of the day and only receive direct summer sun in the late afternoon.

Being a shade-loving plant, this could be the perfect place for this low, mounding, dark green, flat-needled conifer. It is rated as an Intermediate grower, so it may require some pruning to prevent it from becoming too large, but that won’t present a problem with Cephalotaxus since they respond beautifully to pruning.

I am excited to begin my search for the other native plants for this new space now that I have chosen at least one new conifer specimen for the project!

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Moments of gardening ecstasy

The morning had begun like many other autumn mornings in the Pacific Northwest, with the sound of a heavy shower pounding the roof as I laid in my warm bed, with no real desire to climb out and begin my day. Before long, I noticed that the deep pounding tones, like thousands of soft-tipped drumsticks being played on my roof with no discernible rhythm, had come to an abrupt end. “That’s my cue” I thought to myself and finally forced myself to start the day.

Upon opening the curtains to assess the damage of the heavy wind and rainstorm, and much to my surprise, I witnessed not a debris strewn garden, but instead, the very beginnings of a beautiful sunrise. Admittedly, this was not one of those magnificent sunrises which paint the sky in glorious swirls of brightly colored orange, gold, red, pink and purple clouds. No, not at all. But, it was the sun revealing itself here and there through the clouds that were beginning to dissipate after dumping the last of this storm’s autumn rain.

Thuja occidentalis ‘Golden Globe’ glows in autumn’s early morning light.

I looked out across the garden to thousands of tiny, shining droplets of water clinging to the foliage of every plant, which caused the entire garden to sparkle as the emerging rays of sunlight glistened off of these miniature shimmering orbs. I stood in somewhat of a state of awe as I witnessed more of the clouds evaporating away and the sun becoming prominent in its low position in the sky. It had risen just enough to begin to cast light on some of my conifers, lighting them up one by one as it moved slowly higher and steadily toward the south.

One plant stood out more brightly than all the others, and honestly it took me a little by surprise. My Thuja occidentalis ‘Golden Globe’ was suddenly standing in a spotlight of the early morning rays of the sun. It was spectacular! Much of the garden all around this golden-colored, globe shaped, hardy American Arborvitae remained in shade which accentuated the effect of the light on this small tree.

‘Golden Globe’ is not the brightest yellow in the pallet of conifer colors, but generally more of a subtle statement. Its yellow color is best when growing in full sun and does intensify through the growing season. As winter arrives, its yellow color becomes more golden as the foliage begins to include a hint of bronze during the coldest months. As spring brings new life and warmer temperatures, new growth begins to emerge and the whole plant brightens. A hardy, small, rounded conifer, ‘Golden Globe’ can be used as a single specimen, part of a wide border, or, since it responds well to shearing, it could be grown in containers on either side of a walkway in a formal garden.

Just about the time that the sun was climbing high enough to cast light upon more of my garden, the next wave of clouds blew in, filled the sky while hiding the sun, and it was not long before our familiar autumn showers returned. Sometimes, all it takes is a few moments of gardening ecstasy to turn what may have otherwise been a dreary day, into one filled with joy!

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Revisiting an old and reliable friend

One of the first conifers I wrote about, nearly five years ago when I began this blogging adventure, was Picea pungens ‘Sester Dwarf’. My own specimen was fairly young (in conifer years) in my garden and the oldest one I had ever seen was growing in the Jean Iseli Memorial Garden at Iseli Nursery. Over the past five years, my small tree has filled out nicely and seems very happy in my garden. During my recent visit to Iseli, I was drawn to the wonderful old specimen of this slow-growing blue spruce with its symmetrical form, compact habit a bright blue color.

Of course, I have seen this same plant on many occasions over the past five years, but the sun, in its lower autumn position, must have been hitting it just right, because it seemed to stand out more prominently than I had noticed in the past.

I have always been impressed with this beautiful blue tree, from the time many years ago when I saw a row of them growing in the field under evaluation at Iseli, to the time I finally obtained my first little plant, and especially during that recent visit as I gazed upon the elegant beauty of this dwarf conifer. It is trees such as this that inspired my early love of dwarf conifers back when I was but a young lad just beginning my journey into the amazing world of conifers.

The specimen pictured above is nearly eleven feet tall and about five feet across its fairly uniform breadth. Putting on six to eight inches of new vertical growth per year, I am going to presume that this tree is approximately 25 years old, making it perfect for just about any of today’s smaller gardens.

Perfect conical shape, tremendously hardy (USDA Zone 2), brilliant blue color, slow-growing and behaves well in a container for many years; I simply can’t think of a reason more folks don’t have at least one of these pretty trees in their gardens.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

The amazing green world

I heard the silliest story the other day. A good friend and I had an opportunity to meet for lunch and get caught up with each other’s activities over the past several months. We are both gardeners, so we spent most of our time talking about the world of gardening. My friend had an opportunity to go to a symposium which included a rather well-known horticultural celebrity as one of the featured speakers. Apparently, this fellow was trying to sell the concept that the color green was not a color. From what I was told, he had his audience repeating, “Green is not a color! Green is not a color!…”

Green is not a color? That was one of the silliest things I had heard in quite a long time. Not only is green a color, but it is a color within which many shades and hues exist – so much so, that I devoted an early garden design to the color, relying upon the various textures, forms and growth rates of the plants to create interest in the space.

Green is possibly the most prominent color found in nature. Our planet has millions and millions of acres of green forests, green lawns, and green algae. Not only does the color green dominate the plant world, but many shades, hues and tones of green are found prevalent in animal life, from skin and feathers to tongues! Green is most certainly a color – and an important one to our lives. Imagine a world without the green of chlorophyll, and you have a world without photosynthesis. Without photosynthesis, the inhabitants of the world would certainly turn blue – from the lack of oxygen!

Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana’

Green is also known as a color that inspires balance and harmony. Many hospitals use light green in the patient’s rooms because of its calming effects. Green is the color of renewal and restoration and is a natural peacemaker. I know I always feel a sense of peace and calm when I am in a forest, mature garden or just lying on a green lawn.

The color green is very well represented in the conifer world. From giant forest trees to tiny miniatures and trees growing at the edge of the alpine tree-line to lush sub-tropical regions, green conifers are found almost everywhere on planet Earth. Believe it or not, I have a few green conifers in my garden too.

Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Filifera’

Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana’ is one of my all-time favorite selections of Dwarf Hinoki Cypress. During the peak of its spring flush, its new growth is a bright green color which hardens to the rich, lush, dark green that persists all summer and autumn. As winter sets in, ‘Nana’ seems to darken to one of the darkest greens in the garden.

Another form, Chamaecyparis pisifera ‘Filifera’, the Thread-Branch Cypress, though green, is a lighter green than ‘Nana’. To my eye, its green color appears to have been brightened with a hint of yellow, which I presume indicates a little less chlorophyll production in its genetic code, but experts with far more scientific knowledge than myself might have another explanation. Most important to me, is that this slow-growing conifer adds a very pleasing color to the garden with the added interest of its unique texture, due to the long filament-like foliage.

Chamaecyparis thyoides ‘Heather Bun’

Chamaecyparis thyoides ‘Heather Bun’ is the final selection in today’s tiny look at the color green in the conifer garden. The Atlantic White Cedar is not truly a Cedar at all, but another species of Cypress which simply adds confusion in the garden world, but the silliness of most common names is the topic for a future post. I chose ‘Heather Bun’ because of its color changing properties. In spring, it pushes its soft, lush, grass-green foliage which, like ‘Nana’ above, will harden off to a darker green color. Though the green of ‘Heather Bun’ seems to be tinted with a bit of blue giving it a hue all its own. When winter arrives, ‘Heather Bun’ begins to take on a plum blush as if shyly responding to the kiss of a secret admirer.

Of course, these three plants are just a tiny sampling of the vast and wondrous variations of the color green that can be found in the amazing world of conifers.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

Primary colors in the garden

Over the weekend, I had an opportunity to spend the greater part of a day with my daughter at the Silverton Fine Arts Festival. This was an absolutely delightful way to spend a day – what man wouldn’t be proud walking around a public event with his beautiful daughter attached to his arm? We enjoyed the multi-cultural cuisine, the live music and, of course, the art.

There was one artist whose work we particularly enjoyed. Her paintings were of simple shapes crafted into whimsical animal characters painted in bright, rich, primary colors. I loved the geometry of her designs and the intense colors reminded me of my garden.

The primary colors, Red, Blue and Yellow are found throughout the plant world. I do believe that when most folks begin to think of color in their gardens, they immediately think flowers – which are certainly filled with bright and exciting color. But, as I may have mentioned a time or two in previous posts, that color is really quite short lived in the garden, and entirely absent after the first killing frost of autumn, and does not return again until spring, leaving behind a dreary landscape through the winter months, when our emotional health might benefit most from the uplifting effects of color.

Last time I shared just two plants which add volumes of red color to the garden from spring through fall. Unfortunately, red is difficult to come by naturally in the dead of winter, though some deciduous trees and shrubs do offer bright red stems and twigs of deep purple to bright orange and red.

Dwarf conifers and other colorful garden plants add emotionally uplifting color to the the garden.

This time, I want to share a beautiful combination of plants which represent the three primary colors. First, for my red selection, and frankly, this is probably more of a deep dark purple than red, but it serves my purposes here beautifully. Berberis thunbergii ‘Concord’ is a dwarf Japanese barberry with deeply rich, dark purple foliage and stems. The amazing color begins in spring as the tiny leaves appear and continues, without fading, through the hot summer months. Finally, in autumn, the red color becomes brighter until leaf drop when tiny red berries are revealed which may persist into winter.

I’ve mentioned many yellow conifers over the nearly five years that I have been sharing my gardening stories on this blog. Within the conifer world, there are a great number of yellow plants available, from low spreading ground covers, to tall narrow pillars of gold, to subtle butter-yellow highlights and even plants that push their new spring growth in bright yellow and then fade to dark green each year. Some of the brightest I mentioned in a recent post, and today I’ll feature Juniperus horizontalis ‘Mother Lode’ because it is simply one of the purest and brightest yellow conifers readily available today and is suitable for growing in most regions of the USA.

Finally, when I need a go-to blue for garden design, I immediately think Blue Spruce. The first one that tends to come to my mind is Picea pungens ‘Montgomery’ because it is a premium dwarf tree with reliable bright blue color, is much slower growing than its parent species and yet it will grow and fill in space with great blue color and traditional Colorado spruce form, while remaining perfectly scaled for smaller gardens. A maturing 25 to 30 year old tree may reach 10 to 15 feet tall rather than the 25 to 30 feet of its species parent.

When you plant groups of conifers, in combinations of these colors, with assorted shades of green, in a vast assortment of shapes, forms, textures and sizes, you can expect year-round garden interest and pleasure.

Ed-
Conifer Lover

So much color! (part one)

You have heard me go on and on about the wonderful year-round color that conifers provide for the garden. From time to time I have even discussed non-coniferous plants with exciting characteristics including, but not limited to, the great color they add to the garden. Today, I thought it might be fun to take a look at some of the most color-saturated plants in my garden and shortly after I began I realized that this will be the first part in a series on intense garden color.

Red is a color that conifers generally add to the garden in small doses. There is Picea abies ’Rubra Spicata’ with its blood red new foliage push in spring, but it is a rather quick display lasting only a week or two. Many conifers put on a spring-time show with their colorful, and sometimes, bright red cones. Some of these will persist in their colorful stage for several weeks to a few months while others have a shorter duration. For the longest lasting and most intense red color in my garden, I look to broad-leaved trees and shrubs.

Acer palmatum dissectum ‘Crimson Queen’ is a shapely Red Laceleaf Japanese Maple that holds its red color fairly well, even in the heat of summer.

Without a doubt, some of the best reds in my garden are provided by Japanese Maples and there are two which have become favorites of mine. First, Acer palmatum dissectum ’Crimson Queen’ (Crimson Queen Laceleaf Maple), is an older selection that has been used in gardens since it was introduced in 1965. Rich, purple-red leaves emerge in spring, slowly covering the weeping branchwork with deeply cut, lace-leaf foliage. There is a graceful delicacy to the way each individual leaf is held on the stem which gives ‘Crimson Queen’ its delightful good looks.

As the temperatures rise in summer, many red-leaf Japanese maples begin to lose their color and fade to a muddy green as the red pigment becomes an undertone to the green. ‘Crimson Queen’ holds up particularly well to summer heat – especially if planted in a location which will provide some afternoon shade. With the onset of autumn’s crisp, cooler temperatures, ‘Crimson Queen’ becomes a bright scarlet red exhibitionist drawing many eyes before she finally disrobes, showing off her internal structure.

Acer palmatum dissectum ‘Red Dragon’ retains amazing color through the heat of summer. Both shot were captured during our current local hot spell.

Second, there is a newer Red Laceleaf Maple in town, one which has earned a tremendous reputation for unbeatable, dark, rich, reddish-purple leaves with color that just won’t quit! Holding its dark, rich color all summer long, ‘Red Dragon’ just brightens up in autumn before finally exposing its attractive branch structure through the winter months. Acer palmatum dissectum ’Red Dragon’ has a neat and tidy, dome-shaped, habit similar to ‘Crimson Queen’, but without the same delicate grace. That’s not to say that ‘Red Dragon’ lacks any beauty, in fact it is one of the most attractive Red Laceleaf Maples available today!

Adding these two Red Laceleaf Japanese Maples to your conifer garden will bring a pleasing addition of red color to complement the array of blues, greens and yellows available in today’s colorful conifer selections. Don’t just imagine your garden full of year-round color, make it your reality with amazing conifers and other exciting garden plants!

Ed-
Conifer Lover

The beauty of the sea

My wife and I absolutely love the Oregon coast. Yes, I am referring to the entire 363 mile length from the Columbia River to the California border. We might even love the Oregon coast as much as we love conifers!

A few years ago we decided it was time to travel the entire length of the coast and stop at all the lighthouses along the way. We had a wonderful time and we met some great people along the way – we even met the daughter of one of our Mid-western friend’s elementary-aged child’s teacher!

Yaquina Head Lighthouse at the central Oregon coast.

Two of our very favorite destinations on the Oregon coast are the Oregon Coast Aquarium and the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. The Oregon Coast Aquarium is a very large indoor and outdoor venue with great displays of our local coastal creatures. One of our favorite displays is the giant column shaped tank filled with jellyfish. We would sit and watch them for hours if we were allowed to set up our lawn chairs right there. The gentle, constant movements of these amazing creatures is very enjoyable to watch – much like a lava-lamp, but cooler!

You can capture your very own Pinus strobus ‘Sea Urchin’ at your favorite independent garden center.

The lighthouse itself at Yaquina Head is great, but some of the best times have been when we have timed our visit to the low tide, which reveals hundreds of tide pools, and the sea creatures that dwell within them. We will find sea stars, a few different species of Anemone, Mussels and one of my favorites, the Purple Sea Urchin, among many other fascinating sea critters. Perhaps coincidentally, one of my very favorite, dwarf, Eastern White Pines is also called ‘Sea Urchin.’

Pinus strobus ‘Sea Urchin’ was the first, dwarf, five-needle pine planted in one of my first conifer gardens, many years ago. I would love to see that old specimen today! ‘Sea Urchin’ appears somewhat like its namesake growing in a small, dense, globe-shaped form with spiky looking needles held out in all directions around the plant. With a growth rate of approximately one inch per year, this soft-needled, bluish-green pine will remain small in the garden for many, many years. This slow growing pine loves full sun and a very well-drained soil and is ideal for growing in a container on the patio, deck or balcony.

I love my ‘Sea Urchin’ at least as much as the real things that I see at the aquarium!

Ed-
Conifer Lover